Has Medical Marijuana Been Proven to Help People Sleep

Are you suffering with a lack of sleep or finding it difficult to fall asleep in the first place? Is your sleeping pattern irregular? This could be due to your sleeping habits, or it could even be a result of insomnia, also known as sleeplessness. Sleep deprivation is something we’ve all experienced in our lives, but the effects are generally not long term.

Essentially insomnia is an array of sleeping problems such as having difficulty getting to sleep, or staying asleep.

What Causes Insomnia?

Insomnia can be caused by many different elements:

Stress

Caffeine, alcohol and nicotine

Medications

Medical conditions like chronic pain and menopause where sleeping is proven to be extremely difficult

Mental health disorders such as anxiety and PTSD

Eating too much when it’s close to bedtime

Bad sleep habits

Travel or work schedule i.e jet lag

Symptoms of Insomnia

If you are having trouble getting to sleep at night and are suffering from sleep deprivation, you may be experiencing one or more of the few listed below.

Increased errors or accidents

Difficulty paying attention, focusing on tasks or remembering

Irritability, depression or anxiety

Daytime tiredness or sleepiness

Not feeling well-rested after a night’s sleep

Waking up too early

Difficulty falling asleep at night

Waking up during the night

Ongoing worries about sleep

Can and how do you prevent Insomnia

To try and prevent insomnia, it’s a good idea to try and interpret good sleeping habits and patterns into your lifestyle. This is all to do with your lifestyle, so you have to be willing to help yourself.

First thing’s first, eliminate alcohol nicotine and caffeine. Alcohol may feel effective in getting a good night sleep. A glass of wine makes me drowsy, especially right before bed, but, alcohol interrupts your REM (rapid eye movement) which is a sign that one is in deep sleep. They are intervals during sleep where more dreaming and bodily movement, occur. Try to avoid naps throughout the day, as then you won’t be as tired later on in the evening, therefore sleeping may become difficult. If you feel that you are restless, try to take up exercising. Exercising is good for the mind, body and sleep. After exercising, your body and brain are worked to the limits, making you automatically tired, resulting in getting a better night’s rest. If you are stressed before going to bed, or even worrying, try to reduce the amount of activity you do in your bedroom and maybe try some medication to calm the mind to reduce stress. Try to keep a regular sleep cycle and aim to go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time to regulate your body clock.

If these don’t work for you it’s okay, everyone is different, but if you feel that you are stuck in a rut, it’s time to get onto your doctor and ask for professional help. He/she may prescribe some medication for your issue.

Medication for Insomnia

A lot of medication is out there for those who struggle with sleeping such as Xanax. It’s a very effective drug, but those who have addictive personalities might want to avoid drugs like these, as some sleeping tablets can be addictive. If you feel that this is the case with yourself, you might want to ask your doctor for another alternative, especially herbal and natural remedies.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a chemical compound that’s found in the cannabis plant that has been proven by various researches and studies.

Since anxiety can be a problem when it comes to insomnia, CBD oil is own to have a calming effect (that is non-psychoactive) and has the capabilities to lessen anxiety, meaning that it can also improve any issues with sleeping.

Like mentioned earlier in the article, many people who suffer with chronic pain may also suffer from insomnia. CBD has also been proven to help those with chronic pain due to the medicinal benefits in CBD such as anti-inflammatory, natural pain relief, CBD has been known to help patients, or ex-veterans who suffer with PTSD. This study found that CBD blocked anxiety related REM, resulting in better quality of sleep.